The world of Icewind hosts many noble races and wild creatures. A character in Icewind may choose among the following races. Each race has its own qualities, special abilities and skills as well as their own history.
The dwarves of Icewind are a noble race who live under the earth, building great cities while fighting the everlasting forces of chaos and evil. They're of a tough and endurable race, who not often change their minds. This, combined with their stocky and muscular bodies, make them a race of courageous, tenacious fighters. They are, however, not fond of magic, and they never use magical spells or train as wizards, though they can become priests and use their spells.
The dwarves are about four to four and a half feet in height,
weighting from 130 to 170 pounds. They usually have long hair
and long carefully groomed beards.
The duergar, or gray dwarves, are a subrace of the dwarves. They are however quite different from the dwarves. While the dwarves are a noble race, the duergar are a malevolent breed that dwell at extreme depths underground. The duergar are mainly a race that worships evil and chaos. Apart from this, they share much of the same abilities the dwarves possess.
Humans are the most common race on Icewind. The human race is the most diverse race of them all. You can find people fighting for evil, for good or for just about anything here. There are fighters, mages, priests, thieves and adventurers of all kinds. This diversity within one single race, however, makes it hard for a race to gain strengths, or weaknesses for that matter. This makes the human race the most "average" race on Icewind.
The elves are a beautiful race. Most elves have dark hair and deep greenshaded eyes. They are a bit shorter than the average man, and appear almost frail at first glance. Though they may not be as sturdy as a human, they are much more agile and tend to run circles around any human. They often wear colourful clothes, though not garnish. The elves live mostly on the surface in deep forests where they have learned the secrets of moving almost invisibly between the trees. Elves are quite skilled in the use of magical spells and items.
This subrace of the elves are a race of dreaded, evil creatures. They
have black skin and pale, usually white hair. The drow usually inhabit
black caves and winding tunnels underground. They get extensive training
in the use of magical spells and items. This makes them a dangerous
adversary for those that cannot find protection against their dark and
evil spellcasting powers.
Half-elves are of human stock, and have features of both the human and the elven race. They are slightly taller than common elves, growing as tall as five and a half feet. Their lifespans are longer than human lifespans, but shorter than common elven lifespans. This causes them not to fit in either society, and they tend to travel frequently back and forth between the two societies in an attempt of getting the best of both worlds.
The gnomes are small cousins of the dwarves, friendly but reticent. They are quick to help friends, but rarely seen by other races unless they want to be. Their homes are located underground in hilly, wooded regions. Gnomes resemble small, thin dwarves, with the exception of two notable facial features: gnomes prefer to keep their beards short and stylishly trimmed, and they take pride in their enormous noses. Gnomes prefer the use of strategy over brute force in combat, and will often use illusions to even the odds.
Halflings are a hard-working race of peaceful citizens. They live in
communities quite similar to those of humans. Halflings are only three
feet in height, they have ruddy complexions with sandy to dark brown
hair. They fight with great ferocity in defense of good or their homes.
The halflings have the reputation of being good burglars and thieves so it might
be a good advise to check your pockets after shaking hands with them. But
once you're invited in their homes you'll see they're the best and
trustworthy friends around.